Check It Out

[Maverick]

http://www.desktopfactory.com/our_product/

This is a 3D 'printer'.  Okies, it's $5000 but they think that sub $1000 is doable in the future.

Regards,

Mav

[GTX]

You can potentially build your own (though it will be less capable then the professional versions) - see here.  These are really interesting - before long it may well be possible to make a model (or part for) of just about anything in any reasonable scale.  I guess there is a business to be made in selling the 3D image files - anyone interested in joining up with me to create an online business? (seriously!)

Regards,

Greg

[Hobbes]

The ones I've seen don't have the resolution yet: at something like 1 mm per step, you end up with a rough shape.
Creating 3D image files is nontrivial. I suspect it'd be faster to handbuild a master, then scan it.  

[Hobbes]

OK, I'll happily eat my words on this one. these guys are claiming a .038 mm pixel size, which is very impressive. Better: they offer a printing service. Send them your CAD file and they will return the printed parts.  

[GTX]

Yet another 3D printer - this one sized for the desktop and using a roll of plastic sheet (quite a neat set up if I do say so).  See here: www.solido3d.com - the website also has pictures and datasheets.

Regards,

Greg

[frank2056]

I've used Printapart, and they are fairly expensive.

I made some test figures in 1/350, 1/700, 1/1000 and 1/2500 scale, in part to test the resolution of their printer.

Here's what they look like

The scale on the left is in mm. The 1/2500 figures are probably at the limit of the printer; they didn't all come out - this was the best of the batch. The rest came out great (the 1/1000 figure in this picture that's missing a head and leg was the only failure).

Drawbacks:

- The devil is in the details, and your STL files must be checked for open polygons and fixed. They suggested an insanely expensive software package. I found out that Wings3D (a free 3D package) will display open polygons and let you fix them. BTW, I used Daz Studio to generate the figures, Rhino 3D to scale & place them and Wings3D to check.

- These little suckers are incredibly fragile. Whatever material they made the parts from is very brittle.

- If you're going to use the parts as a master (you almost have to, they're so brittle) you really have to put a lot of thought into how you'll make the molds and where the supports and pour areas will be. I thought that putting the figures on a plinth would work. Wrong. For small, delicate parts, it's best to put the supports on the strongest part. If I wee to redo these, I'd make them with a thin wafer "spine" and attach the spine to the pour block, like the l'Arsenal 1/350 scale figures. This also means you have to think of the mold volumes and split lines. I made this figure as if it was looking through binoculars... which makes it almost impossible to cast in a 2 part mold.

I've made some resin casts of the 1/700 figures and those suckers are tiny! I'll try painting one and show it off.

Frank

[AeroplaneDriver]

A few months ago Finescale Modeler magazine had an article on 3d printing.  They focused on a company that would frint your file for about $25US.  The person writing the article made an air compressor for a diorama.  Came out looking pretty nice too.

[B777LR]

Yet another 3D printer - this one sized for the desktop and using a roll of plastic sheet (quite a neat set up if I do say so).  See here: www.solido3d.com - the website also has pictures and datasheets.

Regards,

Greg

This one looks quite promising for us. Parts look durable and strong. Just perfect for creating smaller 1/72 models, or wings for zwillings!

[Hobbes]

Here's another company (in the Netherlands) that offers a 3D printing service: http://www.shapeways.com/.
Disclaimer: I haven't used them, or checked the website much due to needing to create an account.